From the Decks of the World
by SkyGem
Summary: The second pirate king is crowned, and those whose lives have been touched by the Straw Hat pirates celebrate. Drabble series.
1. Alabasta

Summary: The second pirate king is crowned, and those whose lives have been touched by the Straw Hat pirates celebrate. Drabble series.

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Jero has been serving as bodyguard to the young Queen Vivi for nearly one year now.

He knows by now what foods she likes, and what she likes to do in her free time.

He knows she has no qualms about walking and mingling among the "common people".

He knows she counts down the days until her childhood friend and lover, Environmental Minister Kohza, returns to Alubarna when he's been away for more than a few weeks (and he knows that aforementioned childhood friend is planning to propose in the near future).

He likes to think he's got his queen mostly figured out.

But then, there are times when he thinks he hardly knows her at all.

Times when she sits on a chair in the palace infirmary, her legs drawn up to her chest, cheek resting on her knees, and looking out in the direction of the sea.

It's in these moments that the mature countenance of the Queen he's grown to love and respect slips away and she finally looks her age, with all the restlessness and thirst for adventure that being a headstrong twenty-something-year-old entails.

He doesn't dislike this side of the Queen, but he doesn't quite know what to make of her.

It's always Pell or Chaka or Igaram that reassures him with a pat on the back, saying that she'll be alright, she's just worrying for her nakama.

Jero wonders sometimes how long he'll have to work for her before he's allowed to know the full story behind these moods.

That day comes a lot sooner than he expected, when one morning he's awoken by the sound of a high-pitched shriek coming from the Queen's quarters.

Heart thudding and adrenaline rushing, ready to kill the bastard that dared lay a hand on Queen Vivi, he springs out of his bed, reaching for the sword he always keeps within arm's reach and runs out of his room, which is right next door to the Queen's quarters for exactly a reason such as this.

He bursts into the room, looking around frantically for the intruder, only to see a news coo just disappearing out the open window.

The Queen is completely fine, kneeling over the newspaper she has spread out across her bed, eyes roving over the page as she reads the story that has caught her attention. Kohza is awake as well, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he looks around for his discarded shirt.

She looks up at Jero's entrance, her eyes shining with happiness, and he immediately looks away upon realizing she's only wearing a thin cotton nightgown.

"Jero!" she calls, motioning him closer. "Come! Take a look at this!"

He approaches her slowly, still refusing to look at her until Kohza (who's recovered his shirt by now) throws her robe around her shoulders with a fond chuckle and nudges her to put it on.

"What's got you so excited now?" asks the blond, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

"It's Luffy!" she exclaims, pointing the newspaper, and Kohza immediately perks up in interest, leaning over to get a look.

Jero, recognizing the name of one of the most infamous pirate captains in the seas, edges closer too, curious as to why his queen would be so excited.

Kohza's jaw is hanging wide open by now, expression shocked.

"No way…" he whispers.

"I know, right?" asks Vivi, positively bouncing . "He actually did it!"

Jero is finally close enough to see the newspaper now, and his eyes widen when he sees the headline.

"Vivi? Is everything okay?" asks a new voice, and Jero whirls around to see the former king standing in the doorway, brows furrowed in worry.

"Papa!" yells Vivi, jumping out of bed and running to hug her father. "He did it! He finally did it!"

"Who did what?" asks her father, confused.

"Luffy-kun! HE'S THE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

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SkyGem: That's it for this chapter! Please do leave a review and let me know what you thought, and who you want for the next chapter!


	2. Mt Colubo

No one is sure how or when or even _why_ it happened, but over the years, Dogra has somehow become the unofficial news bearer of the Dadan family. Maybe it's because he had been the one to tell them of Sabo's accident all those years ago, or maybe it's because he's the one that always manages to somehow get hold of the news coo first.

Dogra had been the one to bring news of Luffy's first bounty (which had ended up being Dadan's first entry in the scrapbook she'd made for her youngest foster son).

And he had been the one to come in, hiccupping and sobbing, hands nearly crushing the newspaper that told of Ace's untimely death.

He had run into the headquarters, eyes sparkling with joy after the Strawhats' comeback.

And he had clutched two copies of one newspaper with white knuckles, breathless with awe and excitement, after the events in Dressrosa, and Sabo's miraculous revival. Even in his extreme joy, his incredible foresight had allowed Dadan to update Luffy's scrapbook with one copy of the newspaper article about the fall of Doflamingo, while the other copy had become the first entry in Sabo's brand new scrapbook, the final book in the ASL trilogy they had always thought would remain incomplete.

Over the years, Dogra has reliably kept the bandits updated on all their three youngest members' adventures, so when he bursts into their headquarters one morning, out of breath and clutching a newspaper to his chest, all heads immediately turn to him.

When he doesn't immediately say anything, standing speechless in the doorway for a minute, all the bandits know it must be huge news, something game-changing. They search his face, looking for clues as to the nature of the information. He looks utterly dumbstruck, which could be just as easily mean amazing news, as it could mean horribly world-ending news.

But his eyes look suddenly glossy, and then big, fat tears roll down his cheeks, and everyone feels their hearts stop, the air growing cold with dread.

"Okashira…" he whispers, looking straight at Dadan. "Luffy…"

The name is barely more than a whisper of breath, but everyone hears it, and they all flinch away, recoiling from the thought of something happening to their youngest brat. Losing Ace had been hard enough; they can't go through it again with Luffy. They just can't.

"No…" Dadan whispers to herself like a prayer, lumbering to her feet and making a grab for the newspaper in Dogra's hand, detesting what she knows she'll see there.

Her eyes land on a sunny smile, beaming out frojm the page, and it takes her a minute to process the words in front of her, so vastly different from what she had expected.

"I can't believe it," she chokes out in a strangled voice that the others misinterpret as grief, and clutches the newspaper to her chest, sobbing.

By the time Magra gets the newspaper out of Dadan's grip so he can see the news with his own eyes, he and the rest of the Dadan Family are grieving, convinced that the absolute worst has happened.

But then Magra sees the headline, and he blinks in incomprehension for a few moments.

Then, the words process, and he stumbles back a few steps, eyes widened in shock.

"NO WAY!" he yells, heart full to bursting with joy. He turns to his needlessly grieving family, an ecstatic smile on his face, and they stare back at him in confusion.

In a voice loud enough so that everyone can hear, he reads out the newspaper headline, clearing up the misunderstanding as his eyes fill with tears of joy.

"STRAW HAT LUFFY BECOMES PIRATE KING!"

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SkyGem: The end! What did you guys think? You like? Please do leave a review and let me know what you thought, yeah? And cast your votes on who you want to see next chapter! Makino, Nojiko, the Marines, and Garp are all tied for next chapter with 2 votes each! You can vote for as many characters as you want per chapter, and if the one you voted for last chapter hasn't been featured yet, you can vote for them again.


	3. Vice Admiral Garp

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! The little brat actually went and did it!"

Monkey D. Garp's raucous laughter rings through the air, heard clearly across the whole of Dawn Island as his eyes greedily scan the newspaper he's holding, absorbing every single word that is said about his grandson and his crew.

His outburst had startled all the trainees that he is currently supposed to be teaching, all of them flinching back and watching their teacher warily, wondering what had put him in such a good mood.

The most courageous of them – a tall, gangly blond who really doesn't seem cut out to be a marine but is surprisingly strong – turns away from his sparring partner to ask, "Has something happened, Monkey-sensei?"

Steely brown eyes snap to the speaker, and the temperature drops a few degrees.

The trainee flinches back, wondering if he had angered his tutor.

But then, a second later, Garp starts laughing, even louder than before, and turns the newspaper to face his students.

"Look!" he says, sounding like a proud parent. "That's my grandson! He's the new Pirate King!"

He has the widest smile on his face, looking around at his students as if he expects to receive congratulations on his grandson's monumental accomplishment.

Instead, he's met with blank stars and gaping mouths.

He looks back to the newspaper, making sure it really does say what he thinks it says.

And sure enough, the words are still the same, the picture is still the same.

He turns back to look at his students, and they're still staring in his direction in shock.

It's a full three minutes before the belated reaction, the students all jumping backwards, shouting, "EHHHHH?"

Garp laughs, satisfied that they're all properly impressed.

"The little brat has always been such a problem child. I always wanted him and his brother to be marines, but they both went off and became stinking pirates instead. I tell you, it's that dirty Red Hair's fault for corrupting my innocent grandchildren. But even though he went and became a no—good pirate, at least he became a good one, eh? If he'd just ended up some small-time nobody, then he would've been in big trouble. But since he and his brother made their names known throughout the seas, I guess I'll just have to support them in the end. They are my precious grandchildren after all-"

Garp would probably have gone on for hours in that vein, but just before he can start detailing the finer points of his grandkids' adventures (about which he knows almost too much and the details of which he had conveniently "forgotten" to tell the marines about), he is interrupted by his second-in-command.

"Garp-san," says the tired-looking man who is doing most of the actual training of the young recruits. "I understand that you're proud of your grandchildren, but you are setting a bad example for the trainees."

"So?" demands Garp, crossing his arms and sulking like a child because he'd been interrupted. "It's not like I even want to be doing this! I retired years ago, remember? But for some reason, that bastard Akainu won't stop sending these children my way and asking me to train them. As if I would ever take orders from that son of a fuc-"

"GARP-SAN!"

"—ore after what he did to Ace. He was just twenty! Had his whole life ahea-"

"GARP!"

Garp snapped his mouth shut, turning a bone-chilling glare on his co-worker, who tries not to quail under the heavy gaze.

Standing imperiously from his chair, Garp sweeps his gaze over the frightened recruits, who are watching the scene uneasily, and he feels slightly bad. Most of them are just children, younger than Luffy had been when he'd set out. However much the marines have fallen from grace in recent years, it's hardly their fault.

Turning back to his deputy, Garp says in a voice just barely loud enough to be heard by everyone listening, "The Marines of today are not even a shadow of what they were in the past, and the only reason I continue to teach these children is so that, one day, they might be the ones to bring us back to greatness."

No one even dares breathe in the silence following Garp's speech.

And without further ado, the old Vice Admiral turns and stalks out of the room.

He doesn't stop walking until he's out of the building.

The newspaper is still clutched in his hands, and when he brings it up to look at it again, his eyes are immediately drawn to his grandson's sunny smile.

He can't help the hysteric laugh that bubbles up just then.

He is so fiercely, fiercely proud of this little brat.

And so relieved.

Because of all the things he regrets about his life, the man that Luffy has grown up to be is definitely not one of them.

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SkyGem: So…this chapter ended up being a lot more emotional than I expected. But I have to say, I'm really very proud of it. I, personally, do think that Garp would be proud of Luffy (I mean, did you see his reaction when he found out Luffy had broken into Impel Down?) He may have a funny way of showing it, but Garp is totally one of those grandparents that just loves to boast about his grandkids. Anyways, please do leave a review and let me know what you thought, yeah?

The Marines are in the lead for next chapter at 10 votes, with Makino and Nojiko right after them with 6 votes each. Let me know who you want to see next, and don't feel pressured to choose one of those three!


	4. Marine Headquarters

SkyGem: Hey guys! So sorry there haven't been very many updates from me this past week. I've been busy with work and stuff, since we're currently kinda understaffed 'cause of the holidays. Though I do plan to have a new chapter of ANF out the day after tomorrow, so look forward to that, yeah? And I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

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The day the news breaks that Strawhat Luffy has become pirate king, the world is divided into factions.

There are islands where the partying will continue for days and even _weeks_ afterwards; a startling number of them in fact. Islands where the Straw Hats' jolly roger can be seen fluttering on every rooftop, and clutched in the hands of screaming children as they run and laugh at the news.

And then there are islands where the mood is bitter, the villagers stomping around with misery and anger trailing behind them like capes. Islands that have lost so much to piracy, and have not yet had the pleasure of meeting the goofy young man with the smile like sunshine.

The Marine Headquarters is similarly divided.

It is no secret that, in recent years, there has been a rift growing between those in the marines who support Moral Justice, and those who support Absolute Justice.

On this day, the tension is close to reaching the bursting point, and with the marines caught on the brink of a civil war, the news of the new Pirate King couldn't possibly have come at a worse moment.

At seven in the morning, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki is already at his desk, locked in intense discussion with Admiral Kizaru, and a handful of Vice Admirals.

The group is pitifully small, a good number of the higher-ranking officers having been seduced into joining the "Mutineers," as Sakazuki has taken to calling them.

The two other Admirals, whose very purpose is to be his support in times such as these, are the very ones leading the "Moral Justice" faction. And despite repeated attempts to relieve them of their duties, even the Fleet Admiral does not have the power to strip such high-ranking marines of their ranks without good reason.

Starting with the events in Dressrosa, that damned Fujitora had bribed the media to his side, further cementing his own position and becoming an even bigger thorn in Sakazuki's side.

Sighing and turning his attention back to the situation at hand, Sakazuki closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off his nagging headache.

"-can't take on the Straw Hat Grand Fleet without their strength!" shouts Vice Admiral Dalmation, slamming a fist on the table. "They're two of the strongest fighters in the Marines and we need to use every last resource we have if we have any chance of winning!"

"And what are we going to do when they stab us in the back?" demands Vice Admiral Cancer, sitting forward in his seat, his white knuckles the only thing betraying his deceptively calm voice. "Like you said, they're two of the strongest fighters in the marines! We don't need to be worrying about them attacking us while we're trying to deal with Straw Hat. Or do I need to remind you that it was Fujitora that let them escape after Dressrosa?"

There are murmurs of agreement around the table at his words.

"I agree with Cancer," replies Vice Admiral Lacroix from his seat, frowning in Dalmation's direction. "I'm sure I'm not the only one remembering all the times Admiral Smoker has conspired with Straw Hat against the marines. His partner Tashigi refused to let any of her men arrest the Straw Hat crew in Alabasta after the fight with Crocodile. That's proof enough they're working together."

"And there are the events at Loguetown and Punk Hazard to consider as well," comments Comil.

"They wouldn't dare attack fellow marines though," says Kizaru, finally adding in his two cents. "That's one thing the Gorosei won't overlook. And need I remind you we are meant to be presenting a united front to the world? What will they say when two Admirals do not participate in the second summit war?"

Sakazuki sits back, considering everything his companions are saying.

"There are sure to be casualties in the war as well," says Doberman, crossing his arms. "If Fujitora and Smoker stay safe at the base while we are risking our lives and losing our own, they will be in the perfect position to take control and upset the balance. They are gaining more power by the day."

Vice Admiral Strawberry nods his agreement. "That new Vice Admiral boy, Coby, is a friend of Straw Hat, I hear. Perhaps letting him and Fujitora's other young ones fight in the battle will...thin their ranks for us a bit. Certainly it will mean our side isn't the only one takin losses."

The conversation continues in that vein for the rest of the day, going nowhere fast.

And all the while, Straw Hat's stupid grin beams up at Sakazuki from the newspaper sitting in front of him, as if taunting him.

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SkyGem: The end! Like? Didn't like? Please do leave a review and let me know what you thought! And don't forget to vote for who you want next chap! Makino is currently in the lead with Shanks one vote behind.


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